A coupled formulation of finite and boundary element methods in two-dimensional elasticity

A symmetric stiffness formulation based on a boundary element method is studied for the structural analysis of a shear wall, with or without cutouts. To satisfy compatibility requirements with finite beam elements and to avoid problems due to the eventual discontinuities of the traction vector, different interpolation schemes are adopted to approximate the boundary displacements and tractions. A set of boundary integral equations is obtained with the collocation points on the boundary, which are selected by the error minimization technique proposed in this paper, and the stiffness matrix is formulated with those equations and symmetric coupling techniques of finite and boundary element methods. The newly developed plane stress element can have the openings in its interior domain and can be easily linked with the finite beam/column elements.